The role of public service journalism and television in fostering public voice and the capacity to consent: An analysis of Spanish viewers’ discourses

Abstract

This article explores the relevance of voice, recognition and consent as central attributes of the subject of participatory journalism. On the understanding that in democracy the design of political and social organisation ought to favour a process that develops the public voice of citizens, it explores the role that journalism, above all the public service kind, plays in meeting this objective. From this perspective, an analysis is performed on the discourses of the viewers of the newscasts of the Spanish public TV channel TVE, with a view to determining to what extent public recognition is based on the following three elements: (1) the recognition of citizens as such, (2) their capacity to give or withhold their consent and (3) to develop a voice capable of vindicating participation. The discussion and results aim to contribute to the debate on the ‘critical juncture’ of media history, at which the information ecosystem is undergoing far-reaching changes.